Chapter 2We Parted When The Bellflowers Bloomed

After putting Andy to bed, I sat in the dim light of the back room, my mind drifting to the events of six years ago.

Back then, I was the darling of Port Vista's high society. My parents adored me, allowing me to pursue my passion as a runway model. I lived for the bright lights of the stage, enjoying the confidence of a girl who had never known hardship.

My biggest worry in those days was deciding the size of the diamond for my engagement ring, or choosing which designer would craft my wedding gown.

Until the day my parents brought a thin, sun-baked girl into our living room, their eyes red with tears.

"Giselle, this is your sister. She is... our biological daughter."

I had immediately welcomed her, pulling her into my massive closet and offering her my most beautiful dresses. "Yvonne, we are sisters now. What is mine is yours."

I truly felt a sense of guilt, wanting to make up for the twenty years she had spent in poverty. I took her with me everywhere, sharing everything I owned.

But I never realized that my generous promise would become the curse that stripped me of my life.

With Yvonne's return, the arranged marriage between our family and Nolan's faced a major obstacle. Nolan's grandfather visited our estate, his tone unyielding. "The future daughter of our family must be the true, biological heiress of your estate."

My parents remained silent. They loved me, but when balanced against the survival of our massive family empire, an adopted daughter simply carried no weight.

That night, I locked myself in my bedroom and cried.

Suddenly, there was a soft tap against my window. Nolan was standing in the garden below, his white shirt stained with dirt, his face bright with youthful determination.

"Giselle, don't be afraid."

He climbed up to the balcony, holding me so tightly it felt as though he wanted to press me into his very bones, gently kissing the tears from my cheeks. "I don't care about their alliances. Even if I have to forfeit my inheritance, you are the only woman I will ever marry."

The night breeze had been cold, but his promise had been incredibly warm.

With my family's wealth, Yvonne quickly shed her awkwardness, growing more beautiful by the day. And gradually, the way Nolan looked at her began to change.

One afternoon, as I was showing Yvonne a new skincare routine, Nolan had watched from the doorway, offering a casual remark. "Don't overwhelm her with all that makeup, Giselle. She looks quite charming just the way she is."

We all froze, the air turning awkward.

That was only the beginning.

Nolan had always been fiercely protective of his personal space. Once, when I accidentally used his coffee mug, he hadn't gotten angry, but he never touched that mug again. Yet during a movie night with Yvonne, when she complained of being thirsty, she grabbed his soda and took a sip. He simply took the cup back and continued drinking from it without a second thought.

In the past, he wouldn't even eat fruit unless I sliced it and fed it to him myself. But during a family dinner, he quietly put on gloves, peeling shrimp and placing them in Yvonne's bowl.

Meeting my stunned gaze, he quickly looked away, offering a low explanation. "Yvonne had a difficult life before she came back. She has never even tasted fresh seafood. I am just looking out for her."

"Giselle, you have always been a generous, kind girl. Surely you aren't going to be jealous of your own sister?"

His words felt like a heavy stone, crushing whatever right I had to feel hurt.

I kept forcing myself to believe him, telling myself he was only acting out of pity. Until the day I cut my modeling trip short to surprise him for his birthday.

The moment I pushed open his front door, I found a trail of clothes scattered from the foyer to the bedroom.

His designer shirt, which I had bought for him.

Her silk slip, which she had admired during our shopping trip and he had paid for.

My mind went entirely blank. I walked toward the bedroom, and every last bit of my self-delusion was shattered by the sight of their tangled bodies on the bed.